Chapter 29: Skills for Adapting to the Environment
『Understood. Natsume-san, Ms. Omogawa, I wish you the best of luck. I’m sorry to ask, but please keep this line open. I’ll let you know if I notice anything.』
“Understood.”
Then, from behind Yamada-san, the two from the Gunma Prefecture Explorer Association also showed their faces.
『It’s Jonuma. Natsume-kun, take care of the young lady.』
『I’m Tatara, from the Explorer Exam. Natsume-san… please take care of Tamaki-san. Tamaki-san, please get along with NK♡-san.』
“NK♡…?”
“Waaah! Geez, you’re so annoying, Kaede-chan! You’ll regret this when I get back!”
『Fufu… I’ll be waiting.』
《NK♡?》
《Natsume Ko-chan?》
《Why did she rephrase it?》
《There was some hidden meaning there.》
《Ah, the helmet!》
《The helmet Tama-chan was wearing before?》
《It said NK♡ on the helmet.》
《So it wasn’t her favorite idol.》
《Mutual love jinx.》
《Tama-chan, how’s it going!?》
《Did it come true?》
The comments were scrolling by at an incredible speed.
“I’ve never streamed before, but shouldn’t I be answering the comments? I don’t really get it, but they’re saying all sorts of things.”
“Y-Yeah!! It’s dangerous if you pay attention to comments!! You should only look at them when you have free time!! Actually, don’t look at them at all!! They’re not writing anything good!!”
《That’s a harsh way to put it, lol.》
《Harsh, lol.》
《She hasn’t confessed yet, huh.》
《Shy Tama-chan.》
《【¥10000】I, Omogawa Tama-chan, am in love with NK♡, a.k.a. Ko-chan!!!》
《【¥1000】Hope you and NK♡-san can have mutual feelings!!!》
“Idiots, idiots! Don’t highlight it with superchats!! I don’t need it, so stop!”
Otama-chan moved her body as if to hide the screen.
“H-Hey.”
Just then.
『Ms. Omogawa! Stop fooling around and take this seriously! And don’t say rude things to the viewers! You should thank them for the superchats!!』
Yamada-san barked through the screen.
“B-But… Ugh… Th-Thank you for the superchats. And thank you for the comments. Please, forgive me now…”
《She got scolded.》
《Tama-chan, don’t mind!》
《Let’s stop, she looks pitiful.》
《Everyone has their own pace, after all.》
“Haha…”
It seemed Otama-chan was back to her usual self.
This should be fine then.
“Alright then…”
Now, what should I do?
I came out here all gung-ho, but I’m not invincible either.
The number of antidotes I have is limited.
Summoning the stag beetle also consumes MP each time, so I can’t use it indefinitely.
The same goes for the stag beetle’s Shadow Move and 《Flame Attack》.
“I have to conserve MP as much as possible and avoid getting poisoned, huh…”
That’s quite a challenge.
For now, I can’t let my guard down…
At that moment.
“Uwah!”
A single centipede crawled past my feet.
It was a deep purple color and clearly looked poisonous.
“That surprised me…”
“Ah, Ko-chan. You don’t need to worry about that one. It’s not a monster.”
“Not a monster…?”
《He’s really a beginner, huh.》
《Spiders and centipedes in dungeons are safe.》
《You can’t touch them, and they can’t touch you, so it’s fine.》
《Just background elements, as usual.》
《I was scared of them too at first.》
《They’re like flavor text.》
Not a monster… Does that mean they’re like those other things…?
“I’ve never seen a centipede of such a weird color, though. But, well, no need to be wary of it, I guess.”
“…I see.”
—I summoned the Monster Capture Net.
《A bug-catching net!?》
《Huh? What’s this skill?》
《Isn’t it Spatial Transfer and Fire Magic?》
“Ko-chan?”
“Just trying something out.”
I stealthily approached the centipede.
And then.
“Sei!”
I swung the net down.
Bowan!
Encyclopedia No. 30/251
Name: Oomudokumukade
Rarity: ★★
Capture Skill: Poison Absorption
Capture EXP: 400
Drop Item: Magic Stone (Medium)
Description: A centipede that inhabits only floors within dungeons with high toxin levels. Not only can it nullify poison, but it can also absorb mana from poison. Can be captured by a 【Childlike Heart】 skill user employing a Monster Capture Net.
“It worked!”
《Eh? What’s going on??》
《I don’t get it.》
《Does that mean he caught the centipede?》
《A magic stone dropped too!!》
《A book appeared too???》
《Huh?》
《A Tamer?》
《Someone explain!》
《How would we know?》
“Eh…? Is that…?”
“Yeah. Looks like my skill works here too.”
Actually, this is probably how the 【Childlike Heart】 skill is truly meant to be.
This way, I can capture the very few magic beasts that live in the corners of general dungeons and level up.
The magic beasts I encounter are mainly things like spiders and centipedes.
A Private Dungeon filled with bugs you’d instinctively want to catch, like butterflies and stag beetles, is the abnormal one… it’s too much of a bonus stage.
“Ah, Ko-chan! Watch out!”
When I looked up, a Poison Lizard was crawling out from the passage.
Hmm, perfect timing.
“Leave it to me.”
“Eh…? Ko-chan!?”
I drew my dagger and ran towards the Poison Lizard.
『N-Natsume-san! A dagger is dangerous! The Poison Lizard has a poison sac in its abdomen…!!』
The Poison Lizard’s movements weren’t that fast.
It leaped up, trying to bite me. I dodged and plunged my dagger deep into its back.
『Natsume-san!』
Bushuuuuuuuuuu!!
A purple liquid gushed violently from the Poison Lizard’s back.
This is probably the source of the poison mist.
“Ko-chan!!”
“Don’t come closer!”
I stopped Otama-chan from approaching.
“Eh!? But…!”
While bathed in the poison, I felt mana filling my entire body.
“I’m fine.”
“E-Eh…?”
I pulled my dagger from the Poison Lizard and stood up.
Eventually, the Poison Lizard and the poison mist vanished like an illusion, leaving only a small magic stone behind.
“K-Ko-chan…? Are you… alright…?”
“Yeah.”
I picked up the magic stone and put it in my pouch.
I don’t feel bad.
On the contrary…
“——Poison doesn’t work on me. In fact, I’ve developed a constitution that allows me to recover from it.”
“E-Eeeh!?”
『N-Natsume-san! What do you mean!? You shouldn’t have had such a skill when you applied for the Explorer Exam…!』
“I’ll explain in detail later, but I just learned it. It’s the 【Poison Absorption】 skill.”
《He just learned it!?》
《Can that even happen!?》
《Absorption?》
《It’s a higher-tier skill than nullification!》
《Do skills increase that easily?》
《That’s too convenient, lol.》
《Could it be related to the centipede??》
《Ko-chan: “Poison… it doesn’t work on me, you know.”》
《The moment the natural enemy of poison monsters was born.》
『Something so convenient… can actually happen, huh.』
“…Well, I guess so.”
If you say it’s convenient, then maybe it is.
However, it’s not entirely without reason.
Dungeons may seem absurd, but I wonder if there isn’t a certain logic behind them.
For example, on floors where poison monsters appear, magic beasts that can adapt to them live there.
This is just my guess, but on floors with lava, there might be creatures with 【Fire Resistance】, and on dark floors, creatures with 【Dark Vision】.
The creatures living in a dungeon must have a reason for being able to adapt to their environment (floor).
I became certain of it with this skill acquisition.
Learning the 【Poison Absorption】 skill wasn’t just a coincidence.
Rather, it was inevitable.
“This should be a piece of cake then. Otama-chan, watch our rear. I’ll take the front.”
“O-Okay!”
I advanced down the passage, hand on my dagger.
I, whose stats were all at the lowest rank, can now protect my childhood friend.
…That fact made me happy.
《Ko-chan, do your best!》
《Protect her!》
《Ko-chin and Tamama, I’m watching. Come back safe and support me, okay? (;´Д｀)》
《【Official: Dungeon Management Bureau】This is Sasarabashi from the Dungeon Management Bureau. Natsume-kun, Tama-chan. I’ve arranged for a JSDF night helicopter on my end. Don’t push yourselves if clearing it becomes too difficult, okay?》